seldom do you get to see a good film, even more seldom a great film, but this afternoon I saw a "masterpiece" ... "slumdog millionaire" is hands down the best film I've seen all year. It had every element of a perfect movie. It made me feel every fiber of my being, it exuded within me every emotion, it made me cry, it made me laugh, it made me hold my breath, it made me fall in love, it made me mad, it made me want to scream, it made me everything I could think of in a span of 120 minutes...it was simply breathtaking.
if you have not been able to yet see this movie, I would encourage you to watch it and bring a friend. this movie is what film making is about. it's about uplifting human dignity, expressing life as it is and finding beauty in the broken.
I give it up to Danny Boyle for directing this film, he truly is a genius to be able to capture incredible cinematography for so many different genres of film. who ever wrote the script, I have nothing but applause.
I hope and pray that I can be a part of films like these, ones that personify truth and exemplify love. truly a masterpiece. a must see. two BIG thumbs up for "slumdog millionaire"
THIS SONG IS AN OFFERING SONG TO GOD. IF YOU ARE IN HONG KONG, SPEAK CANTONESE SOMEWHERE ON EARTH...DOWNLOAD THIS BEAUTIFUL LIFE GIVING TRACK AND PASS IT ON TO AS MANY PEOPLE AS POSSIBLE. WE WANT THE MESSAGE IN THIS SONG TO SPREAD ALL OVER THE WORLD...GOD BLESS AND THANK GOD FOR LIFE! PRAY FOR THIS SONG TO INSPIRE CHANGE, SAVE THE LIVES OF THE UNBORN, AND PUT A SMILE ON FACES FOR YEARS TO COME.
WE ALL NEED TO BE THANKFUL FOR LIFE. MC JIN, MYSELF AND CORRINA RECORDED A VERY SPECIAL SONG CALLED "THANK YOU" TO BE THE THEME SONG FOR THE MOVIE BELLA IN HONG KONG. THIS SONG TALKS ABOUT BEING THANKFUL TO GOD FOR HIS LOVE, CONSTANT FORGIVENESS AND THE PRECIOUS LIFE WE HAVE EACH BEEN GIVEN. WE PERFORMED THIS SONG IN HK TIME SQUARE FOR THE BELLA PREMIERE. MY PRAYER IS THAT EVERY YOUNG PERSON THAT LISTENS TO THIS SONG IN HONG KONG AND AROUND THE WORLD WOULD VALUE THE LIFE THEY HAVE BEEN GIVEN, AND ALSO VALUE EVERY LIFE THAT IS IN THE WOMB, HOPEFULLY EVERY YOUNG WOMAN WHO IS THINKING ABOUT ABORTING THEIR CHILD, WOULD RECONSIDER AND GIVE LIFE A CHANCE. I KNOW MY MOM DID FOR ME, THAT'S WHY I AM ALIVE TODAY AND I THANK GOD FOR THAT.
WE WILL BE RELEASING "THANK YOU" AS A SPECIAL TRACK ONLINE FOR THE HOLIDAYS...STAY TUNED AND THE SONG WILL BE AVAILABLE TO DOWNLOAD ON MY BLOG SHO NUFF. GOD BLESS AND KEEP PROMOTING THE CAUSE OF LIFE IN OUR GENERATION. THANK YOU GOD!
In a few hours I will be leaving on a flight to Hong Kong. For the last 4 years the Holy Spirit has led me and others to help pioneer a work of campus revival in that great city. We have seen a mighty move of His Spirit touching the lives of countless young people in Hong Kong. God moved from campus to campus from 2004-2007, spurring students on to seek one thing in Jesus, to pray and fast for campus & citywide revival, to share the Gospel in the supernatural power of the Spirit and receive a mighty vision to bring the Gospel from East Asia back to Jerusalem.
As many of you know, our passion and vision is "Every campus, Every City, Every Nation for Christ." If we can reach the campus today, we can change the world tomorrow. Transformation starts on the campus, but it doesn't end there. In the past year the Holy Spirit has been silently and strategically transitioning and leading me to take the Gospel from the campus into society, specifically the media and entertainment field in Hollywood and Asia. I always believed the greatest tool we have at our disposal to reach the next generation for Christ is MEDIA. As they say, "As Hollywood goes, so goes the world!" Media has been used by Satan to poison and transform the minds, beliefs, values and philosophy of this current MTV generation. Yet, I am believing God that in this destined moment in history, in this time of great global shifts, economic turmoil, political struggles and a world at war that God is putting a cry in the heart of young people every where to make a difference and to be set apart in holiness. This is not an MTV generation, it never was and it will never be, it is a Jesus generation that will not just talk Jesus, but walk Jesus in every continent of the earth.
In the last months, nearly every week I have seen lost souls in the media and entertainment world repent and return radically to our Lord Jesus Christ. It has not been by accident, but has been happening for such a time as this. I started a simple church network in Hollywood nearly 6 months ago and we have seen lives changed, hearts turn to Jesus, new disciples being baptized continually and a light shine out of the darkness. I'm believing for "HOLY-wood" not "Holywood." At the same time, in the last months doors have flung open in Asia and many from the media and entertainment world have been encountering the love of God in a fresh new way. I asked the Lord "Why so many, so quickly and at this moment?" The Holy Spirit impressed upon my heart that He is sovereignly bridging the East and West for a massive harvest that will awaken all of North America and Asia for the greatest revival in these end days. I am humbled, I am praying, but I am prepared.
Hong Kong Mission: Bella the Movie This week in Hong Kong Nov 10-18 I and our team will need your daily prayers and fervent intercessions for protection and God's purpose to be accomplished. Our mission team, myself, Carl, Jin, Peter Gent, Eduardo Verastegui and our local leaders in Hong Kong will be campaigning for the release of the movie Bella in Hong Kong, China. This movie as you know has impacted lives all over America with the message of LIFE. Many babies have not been aborted after young women have watched this movie. God has opened a door of mercy to Hong Kong to be saved as Hong Kong is the number one industrialized city for the number of abortions, literally 1 out of 3 babies in HK are aborted each year. We are praying that this movie will be watched by every family in Hong Kong and Asia so their hearts will be convicted, touched and changed so that they will consider keeping the destined lives in their wombs and others would rise up to adopt many unwanted children, who are completely desired and wanted by our Father in heaven. Eduardo the lead actor in Bella and myself will be going from church to church and holding press conferences to promote this beautiful film all over HK during the next 10 days.
The movie gala premiere will be Nov 10th evening. That night MC JIN and myself will perform a new song we recorded called "THANK YOU" which tells the story and message of being thankful for the precious life that has been given to us by God. Pray that this song goes all over every radio station in Hong Kong to inspire and change hearts in youth and old alike.
Hong Kong Mission: Media & Entertainment Artist Outreach On November 16th we will be holding an Gospel outreach to a few hundred artists in the Hong Kong media/entertainment industry. The story behind how this opportunity has come about is a God story in itself. By His grace, we will be able to share personal testimonies and a clear Gospel message to those who are coming to seek and know God more. It is my prayer, that the many who come would encounter the undeniable presence of the Holy Spirit and receive a powerful revelation of Jesus Christ' unconditional love for them. Please pray that every actor, actress, director, producer, and every person in the entertainment industry in Hong Kong would come to know the love of Jesus Christ. Please pray the HK film industry which is the Hollywood of East Asia will be transformed with God's glory from the inside out and bring worship to our Father in heaven. Pray that God would raise up another Golden Era of film making in Hong Kong once again, but this time not for it's own glory but for the glory of God producing media, music, film and entertainment that would inspire and change the billions in Asia and around the world with Truth and Light!
In between these mission assignments, I will be challenging and praying with out university student leaders to get behind mobilizing young people all over HK to watch Bella, pray for the ending of abortion and to believe God for their campuses, their city and their nation to be transformed w/ the teachings of Jesus Christ, specifically through media. We will also be holding a Vision and Sharing night for our ministry Campus Church Networks on Dec 12th so we pray that God would bring forth His faithful and obedient servants to partner with this growing ministry and movement around the world to reach every campus, city and nation for Christ.
Prayer Focus:
Daily pray for our team members protection from the evil one (Carl, Jin, Peter, Lois, Cindy, Gary and others) & that we would stay close to Jesus and one another
For great favor with the Bella movie campaign to gain secular and mass media coverage all over Hong Kong and the Church
Pray for many souls to be saved and disciples to be made in the HK media and entertainment industry
Pray for great doors for the Gospel to be preached to strategic people God has chosen to use
Continually pray for the Hong Kong Universities and campuses to rise up, contend for revival and spread the message of LIFE
Pray that God would grant us grace to find strategic partners to support CCN on Nov 12th Vision and Sharing Night
For signs, wonders and miracles to break out all over the city of Hong Kong and the entire entertainment industry to be shaken with the power of God & transformed for His purposes, that doors would stay open and His Church would be established in this mission field of media, the greater Church to continually unite and for a new generation to be raised up for God's mission in HK and Asia
Pray for the Asia media and entertainment industries and all those in it to TURN TO GOD and FIND JESUS CHRIST!
Also, in early Dec 2-6 our team will be heading to Seoul Korea, to share the Gospel with a few thousand artists in media and entertainment there. Start praying now, because there have been many celebrity suicides in just the last months and we are asking God to turn Korea's entertainment industry from falsehood, to truth, from rejection to acceptance, from lies to LOVE. God is shifting and shaking at this moment and we must be PREPARED IN PRAYER. No Prayer, No Power, Much Prayer, Much Power. Let us PRAY!
Personal Transition: As some of you know, I will share more later. But in October I have begun a 1 year sabbatical from campus church ministry in order to focus on media and entertainment, but most importantly my own personal devotion to Jesus. I will not be speaking at campus or church revival conferences for the next year in order to spend more time daily with God, my family and friends and making disciples in the media/entertainment mission field. God has graciously raised up new international and national leadership for Campus Church Networks during my time of rest. I will send out another email soon about this leadership transition.
All in all, I am feeling ALIVE in my heart and soul again. I'm so excited to spend more time at home developing my love for Jesus daily. I am equally excited that I am able to pursue my child hood passions of making music, doing acting and being able to creatively preach the Gospel through media and entertainment. I feel at home, at one with God and myself and feeling every day that the best is yet to come...I was born for this moment. It's a great feeling!
I will continually need your prayers. Please pray I personally stay humble, abide daily in the Vine of His presence, am kept from temptation and evil and stay faithful to the call of preaching the Gospel to all nations in this generation!
A historic and healing moment indeed for the United States of America...what it will bring only time will tell. My thoughts after tonights elections...
As I watched John Mccain concede his speech tonight with grace, I was smiling in my heart with a sense of pride. Not because he lost, but because of the character that shined through his gracious words. He is a true hero, a great leader and a man who truly loves his country.
As I watched next president elect Barak Obama inspire millions of American's to believe & hope for change I could only think what a historic and healing moment this must mean for so many African American's and immigrants in this country. Even for myself, as a Chinese American it was a healing and touching moment. "Yes we can!"
As I sat back, thought for a moment and prayed to God I simply said, "God you are sovereign and my trust is in You, thank You for the healing that is taking place in this nation...God bless America."
The United States of America is a great country. Our democratic process allows us the freedom of choice to choose our leaders, shape our society and believe for change. Politics can be a touchy issue for most American's, it can divide us, but tonight I felt like it united us.
John Mccain could have made a concession speech on the why not and what should've, instead he chose to share words of grace towards his opponent, acknowledged the historic moment and how we need to now support our next president elect and reach across party lines to make this country and world a better place to live in. There was such a deep sense of honor, courage, character and grace that was shown in his words...it made me feel like a true American.
"This is an historic election, and I recognize the special significance it has for African-Americans and for the special pride that must be theirs tonight. I've always believed that America offers opportunities to all who have the industry and will to seize it. Senator Obama believes that, too. But we both recognize that though we have come a long way from the old injustices that once stained our nation's reputation and denied some Americans the full blessings of American citizenship, the memory of them still had the power to wound.
A century ago, President Theodore Roosevelt's invitation of Booker T. Washington to visit -- to dine at the White House was taken as an outrage in many quarters. America today is a world away from the cruel and prideful bigotry of that time. There is no better evidence of this than the election of an African American to the presidency of the United States. Let there be no reason now -- let there be no reason now for any American to fail to cherish their citizenship in this, the greatest nation on Earth." Listen and read the rest of his inspiring speech John Mccain Speech
At the same time, Barak Obama gave a powerful acceptance speech explaining that we are not democrats or republicans, white or black, hispanic or asian, male nor female, straight or gay, but we are American's bonded together as one nation under God, we are not blue America or red America, but we are the United States of America and we all need to do this together to rise above our challenges and change the world for the better.
"The road ahead will be long. Our climb will be steep. We may not get there in one year or even one term, but America -- I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there. I promise you -- we as a people will get there," Obama said in Chicago, Illinois.Read Obama's Speech
I have friends Christian and non-Christian who voted for Obama and others for Mccain. I personally voted for Mccain because he aligned more with my values and beliefs. As for Obama, although I don't agree with many of the policies, values and approach to politics he holds for America, I nonetheless applaud him for his love for America and give great due respect to his leadership. I believe in times like these, we who trust in Christ must be able to agree to disagree.
We need to pray for our newly president elect daily and pray for God's will to be done in this great nation in these critical times. We have great challenges ahead of us: worldwide economic turmoil, war on terrorism, global warming, eradicating systemic poverty, the protection of life and family, spiritual lostness and the list goes on. How will we do this? We can only do this if we do this "together" we must pray together, act together and believe together for a better tomorrow starting today.
Today is a new day for America. We live in a new millennial generation that is believing and acting towards a new America and a new world. It was no doubt that what made the difference in the election this year were the young twenty somethings who rallied voters on colleges, universities and communities to vote for the first time in swing states. In my heart, I believe after this election we are moving more and more towards a bi-partisan Washington D.C., a generation that will bridge the gaps and marry righteousness and justice together to flow like a mighty river through the nations.
As I finished my time of prayer tonight, in my spirit I saw a picture of a "bridge" and that is my prayer for America and this new generation, "Lord, I pray that you would bless America, bless Barak Obama and the leaders of our nation to lead this country in righteousness and justice. Your will be done and Your kingdom come. Bridge the gaps, reconcile our differences, make us one country under God, keep us humble, give us strength, and instill in us courage to overcome our differences and to rise up to the challenges that face us, may this be our greatest moment and may You have Your way in all things. We repent for any sins committed in the past, and the sins that will be committed as a nation in the future we ask for mercy and grace to do what is right. Whether we agree or disagree with those who lead in office, Lord we pray for our nations leaders and ask that You speak to them daily, guide them in your righteous right paths and let America be a shining light in the darkness of this world. In Jesus name Amen."
I write this post with deep sobriety, repentance and the fear of the Lord. After spending 12 hours praying for the protection and sanctity of marriage with thousands of believers in Qualcomm stadium today in San Diego, I came to clearly understand not only in my mind, but in my spirit the dire situation we are in.
America is at a critically defining moment, forced to face the most important moral and civic issue of it's history. The question is, "How will we define marriage?" Is it between one man and woman as the Bible states and God commands? Or will it be defined by human definition and be deemed acceptable as normal?
My heart is saddened, because although God's Word is clear, most Christians I know are not clear about this moral issue at all. There are two sides to the coin here and I want to be objective.
On Nov 4th citizens of California will vote either YES on Prop 8 or NO on Prop 8. By voting yes we are voting and stating that marriage is a union between one man and one woman. By voting no on prop 8 we are voting & legitimizing that marriage can be defined in other ways, specifically man and man, or woman and woman (or homosexual marriage). If Prop 8 is rejected, homosexual marriage will be taught as mandatory curriculum to children as young as kindergarten. Teachers will have to teach that marriage is not only man & woman, but between same sex partners.
I've heard both sides of the coin from Christians...
1. View #1 ~ Jesus loves all people and we are to accept everyone as they are. Everyone has a right to choose and we should not infringe upon their choice because that is a personal decision. We as Christians should not judge others, for this would be arrogance and discrimination and not a good witness to those who do not believe.
2. View #2 ~ God's Word is clear that homosexual orientation is wrong (Romans 1, 1 Tim 4) and we are to not to tolerate this behavior. If we legalize same sex marriage it will destroy the moral fabric of our society which is the human family unit which is the base that holds all things together . Ultimately we would be directly disobeying God's commands.
3. View #3 ~ My personal view...I believe as Christians we are to love all sinners (which is everyone of us) but we can not condone or support the practice of sin. Therefore, we are to accept all people (whatever race, sexual orientation, economic class, etc) as God would by not condemning, but showing love in action. At the same time, we are not to agree with what God disagrees with. Sin is sin. No questions asked. We must stand for truth as written plainly in God's Word.
As a Christian believer we must vote Yes on Prop 8 and let me give some Biblical reasons why....
Marriage is defined in the Bible as husband & wife. Marriage for thousands of years has always been between a man and woman, we are not to change it's definition because humans decide to, it is God's decision and He has made clear what His decision and purpose is. (Genesis 1:27, 2:18, 2:24, Matt 19:3-12, 1 Cor 7:1-40, 1 Peter 3:1-7, etc)
Marriage is for pro-creation, Same sex unions can not produce natural life. Marriage was created for the purpose of family. Father, mother and children are given as gifts from God for families to experience love and relationships in God's grace. (Ps 127:3, Prov 17:6)
Prop 8 is not only a political issue, it is a moral issue. We as Christians must give to Caesar what is Caesar's and give to God what belongs to God (Matt 22:21) In other words, we are to fulfill our civic duty as citizens by doing what is right and voting in order to legislate what is in the best interest of society according to God's Word. At the same time, as God's church we are to correct, rebuke, encourage and teach (2 Tim 4:2) believers God's ways & commands without tolerance or compromise.
Voting NO on prop 8 is disagreeing with God's definition of marriage. If we vote NO against Prop 8, we are agreeing that the definition of marriage in the Bible is not legit. The activists advancing the agenda to vote NO on Prop 8 main goal is not human equality, but to legitimize same sex unions to be defined as "traditional marriage" As a Christian and one who believes in God's infallible Word, we can not disagree with what God says marriage is. If we do, then we will be guilty of supporting and condoning the practice of this sin. The Bible is clear that homosexuality is not God's will or purpose for human kind, and we are not to support this practice of sin under any circumstances. For it says in Romans 1: 18-32 (Study specifically the last verse Rom 1:32)
God's Wrath Against Mankind
18The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, 19since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. 20For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.
21For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools 23and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.
24Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. 25They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.
26Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. 27In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion.
28Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done. 29They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, 30slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; 31they are senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless. 32Although they know God's righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.
Voting No on Prop 8 would be supporting a false doctrine. Again, God's Word is clear in 1 Timothy 4:1-3a...1The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. 2Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron. 3They forbid people to marry (in the last days false teachers will be influenced by demons and teach demonic doctrines forbidding people to marry. Many homosexual activists are now saying that if they can't have the right to marry, no one should have the right to marry)
In 2 Tim 4:2-4 it says, "2Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. 3For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. 4They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.
As Christians we are called to disciple nations, not only individual people. Matthew 28:18-20 Jesus commanded us to make disciples of "all nations." The Greek word is panta te ethne which means "every social unit or grouping that makes up a particular society." Our purpose and aim is to "disciple nations" under the Lordship and teachings of Jesus Christ. In other words, we are to pray and to act as God's ambassadors on in the world by bringing the kingdom of heaven into the kingdoms of earth. How do we do this? We pray, "Our Father, thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven (Matt 6)." God's goal is to make the kingdoms of men, the kingdoms of our God. This happens when a entire society is obeying the teachings of Christ. For example: Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin, Chairman Mao and others discipled their nations, but not in the ways of God, but in the ways of Nazism and Communism. It was not an individual agenda, it was a national and civic agenda. God has an agenda too, make disciples of ALL NATIONS!
As disciples of Jesus Christ we are called to reform society, not just preach salvation to individuals. Matthew 24:14 says, "And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come." It did not say, "gospel of salvation" which is what most Western Christians think. We believe Christianity is a private and personal faith. It is simply a spiritual matter, not a physical/material or can I say political one? Plato taught dualism which is a division between sacred and secular. Everything spiritual is looked upon as good, whereas everything material is looked upon as waste and secondary. Therefore, western Christianity took this philosophy and believed that only the spiritual was important and everything material/physical was insignificant, evil and rotting away. This gave way to modern thinking that church only happens on Sunday, our purpose as believers is to keep ourselves holy & wait for the rapture to come, because the world is evil and getting worse by the day. What's wrong with this thinking? Did God not create us body, soul and spirit? What happened throughout the last hundred years or so is Christians in the West have forfeited their civic right and responsibility to stand and fight for God's truth in society. We abdicated our authority to rule, and gave the world and all it's power to the Devil. We have let Anti-Christian agendas seep into our government, business and education systems (ex: Supreme Court justices interpreting law according to their personal beliefs, rather than the law itself, unethical business practices from Enron to Wall Street, Darwinism/Evolution theory taught in schools as mandatory & Creationism not being able to be taught at all, abortion made legal and causing 44 million babies aborted since 1973, and now the redefinition of traditional & Biblical marriage? The list goes on) Christians have a responsibility and that is to lead in all areas of society: Government, Business, Education, Media, Arts, Family and Religion by living, acting and teaching others to obey God's commands. Our goal is not just to get saved, go to heaven and live our own personal lives. What we do and how we live has implications not only upon us, but our surroundings and the communities we live in. (Christianity is not just a personal faith, it is a body of believers who unite together as One under the headship of Christ. God does not only judge individuals but He judges nations, cities, kings and authorities ~ ex: Sodom & Gomorah, city of Nineveh, nation of Israel, nation of Babylon, book of Judges, 1 & 2 Kings, all throughout the Old Testament and New Testament when God's people turned away from His laws, they experienced judgment and the curses that came with disobedience, but when they returned to the Lord, repented and obeyed His written commands they were restored and blessed (ex: King Josiah 2 Kings 22). How much more are we to do the same as believers today?
If we disobey God's Commands we will receive a curse upon our land. Deuteronomy 6 states clearly that if we obey God's commands we will be blessed, if we disobey them we will be cursed. This is not punishment from God, it is the natural working out of His created order. God gave us commands to obey, so that we would live life the way it was intended to work. When we break His law, we receive the natural and spiritual implications from breaking them. Laws are there to keep life in order. When disobeyed lives and society will ultimately go into anarchy and chaos. If same sex marriage is legalized, so will everything else. We will no longer have a moral code to rule and govern society. Legalizing same sex marriage will open up Pandora's box and like other nations that have legalized same sex marriage (Canada, parts of Europe, etc) other sins will be permitted as legal and normal. In Canada, EU and even the US (in Boston MA) pastors and parents have been arrested and put in jail for standing against same sex marriage, being indicted for hate crime and discrimination. Lord have mercy.
What is Proposition 8? Proposition 8 is a simple and straightforward voter initiative. It contains the same 14 words that were previously approved in 2000 by over 61% of California voters: “Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California.” Because four activist judges in San Francisco wrongly overturned the people’s vote, we need to pass this measure as a constitutional amendment to restore the definition of marriage as between a man and a woman.
What does a YES vote on Proposition 8 mean? Voting YES on Proposition 8 does 3 simple things:
It restores the definition of marriage to what the vast majority of California voters already approved and human history has understood marriage to be.
It overturns the outrageous decision of four activist Supreme Court judges who ignored the will of the people.
It protects our children from being taught in public schools that “same-sex marriage” is the same as traditional marriage.
What does a NO vote on Proposition 8 mean? If Proposition 8 is defeated, the sanctity of marriage will be destroyed and its powerful influence on the betterment of society will be lost. The defeat of Prop. 8 would result in the very meaning of marriage being transformed into nothing more than a contractual relationship between adults. No longer will the interests of children and families even be a consideration. We will no longer celebrate marriage as a union of husband and wife, but rather a relationship between ‘Party A’ and ‘Party B.’ The marriage of a man and a woman has been at the heart of society since the beginning of time. It promotes the ideal opportunity for children to be raised by a mother and father in a family held together by the legal, communal and spiritual bonds of marriage. And while divorce and death too frequently disrupt the ideal, as a society we should put the best interests of children first, and that is traditional marriage. Voting No on Proposition 8 would destroy marriage as we know it and cause profound harm to society.
Will Proposition 8 take away any rights for gay and lesbian domestic partners? No. Proposition 8 is about preserving marriage; it’s not an attack on the gay lifestyle. Proposition 8 doesn’t take away any rights or benefits from gays or lesbians in domestic partnerships. Under California law, “domestic partners shall have the same rights, protections and benefits” as married spouses. (Family Code §297.5.) There are no exceptions. Proposition 8 will not change this.
If Proposition 8 passes, what will happen to the same-sex marriages that have already taken place? Under Proposition 8, the validity and recognition of all marriage in California would be limited to a man and a woman, including past and future marriages, as well as marriages from other states or countries. The rights and obligations of same-sex couples who obtained marriage licenses before Proposition 8 passes will be up to the Courts to decide.
If Proposition 8 does not pass, will my children be forced to learn about gay marriage at school? Yes. In health education classes, state law requires teachers to instruct children as young as kindergarteners about marriage. (Education Code §51890.) If the same-sex marriage ruling is not overturned, teachers will be required to teach young children that there is no difference between gay marriage and traditional marriage.
In conclusion, I want to make it clear that I have nothing against people who live a homosexual lifestyle. I have many close friends who are homosexual or have same sex attraction. They are wonderful people, incredible friends and some of them are Christ followers. In fact, my favorite Christian author Henri Nouwen struggled with SSA (Same Sex Attraction) his whole life. He did not act out on his sexual orientation, but he did come out openly that he had SSA. Do I believe some of them are going to heaven & have a relationship with Jesus Christ, absolutely! Do I treat them differently than other friends, or even myself, I don't believe so. We are all human, we all have sinned and we all fall short of God's glory and each need his mercy. God accepts us for who we are and loves us as we are. When we recognize our sins, repent and turn to His loving kindness He always receives us with open arms. In the same way, we are to love others unconditionally as God does so with us. We are not to condemn others for their sin, for none of us are perfect. I love and respect my friends who are gay or lesbian, I believe they have the freedom to choose the lifestyle they live and what they believe.
Yet, I can not let marriage be defined as "same sex" because God's Word is clear what marriage is and what marriage isn't. It has been this way for thousands of years, as Pastor Rick Warren stated, "For 5,000 years, every culture and every religion - not just Christianity - has defined marriage as a contract between men and women," Warren wrote. "There is no reason to change the universal, historical definition of marriage to appease 2% of our population."
So although we love the sinner we can never condone the sin that is practiced. Sin is real and sin causes pain, destruction and degradation. Sin is not cool, it is foolish. Sin does not just hurt yourself, but it hurts other people. Indeed, all men are created equal, have certain rights to pursue life and happiness, but when the rubber meets the road and civil government goes against God's commands, there will be a showdown. I will not stand for what God calls unrighteous because of the negative implications for my future family, future generations & the life of my country. This is why I can not and will not support same sex marriage as a traditional definition of marriage.
I can't let my future children be taught that homosexual marriage is part of God's definition for marriage at the impressionable ages of kindergarten-12
I as a pastor will not marry a homosexual couple because I don't believe that is a definable marriage. If I am arrested for hate crime and discrimination, although this is not so my heart nor intention, there is nothing I can do but stand upon God's Word.
I can't teach others that same sex marriage is acceptable and normal, because the government mandates me/or others to do so. This clearly goes against what the Bible teaches us to teach and if I am to be arrested for stating my right and opinion to believe what I believe, than this is unfortunate, unfair and unjust.
Psalm 94:20 - "Can unjust leaders claim that God is on their side - leaders who permit injustice by their laws"
Lord, I cry out for your mercy and justice to roll down like a mighty river in California on Nov 4th. Holy Spirit come upon the hearts of those who vote to understand Your commands, Your ways and Your thoughts that are higher than ours. I pray you awaken Your church and it's leaders to recognize the moral crisis we are in and to stand up for truth, while at the same time let those who say they are Christian show deep love and compassion to those in the homosexual community, may they not feel judged nor condemned, may they feel and know Your unconditional love and acceptance, may they be blessed and filled with Your peace. May they encounter Your power and presence, be healed and saved in Your loving grace just as you saved me in my sin and shame. Lord we all bow before You, for You alone are King of kings, Lord of lords and the Prince of peace. Lord have mercy on California and our nation and protect the sanctity of marriage that You have created for all mankind to live in love for You and one another as godly families under the loving lordship of Jesus Christ. Amen.
